Don't Lose Hope
by skelettt
Summary: "Some say that the future is singlehandedly the most horrifying thing known to man, because even the smallest and most miniscule of mistakes could change one person's life, forever." Zombie AU. Written for a friend. Rated M for later chapters. None of the characters used belong to me unless stated otherwise.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - Introduction **

Amongst the curious arrangement of oak trees that were littered alongside a road that hadn't been paved in what was assumed to be a decade or two, lied a small, white house. The balcony that was obscured from an onlooker's first glance surely gave the home it's charm, what with it's carefully chosen decor, which contained warm, summer colors that were certainly a sight for sore eyes, and neatly painted exterior.

It was July, and the frequent, yet calm wisps of warm wind rustled the leaves, causing them to dance and sing about their confinement.

A girl, nearing her mid-twenties, sitting upon a long, hanging bench that occasionally swayed with the wind, sighed contently to herself as she felt yet another smooth gust of fresh air tingle against her tan skin, her caramel-colored irises blanketed by heavy lids. Gloria breathed deeply, as though she were clearing a clouded mind, before allowing her eyes to flutter open alongside her final exhale. They drifted across the familiar canvas of green oak leaves, then to the novel she had been reading previously that day, before coming to a stop at her lap. A kind smile forced it's way onto her lips, as though she couldn't contain her utmost love for the creature that resided there.

While in our own times, it would be looked upon as madness, future years proved that humans and animals could indeed live alongside each other, though, not in the way most would expect.

While most do not remember the incident clearly enough to describe it in accurate terms, it was certainly a turning point in the evolution of mankind. A brilliant, yet indescribably illegal facility had been collecting a generous amount of data from all sorts of creatures, comparing their dna, and stringing together the ultimate hormone that would be released into the open air upon completion. Only non-human creatures that roamed primarily on land were to be affected by it, said old records.

It had resulted in animals evolving to walk on their hind legs, eat, speak, think, and breathe, just as a human would. The sight had baffled many. At first, an initial panic had quickly settled, and they were feared amongst many men and woman. Though, as time went on, the humans became accustomed to these creatures. It had affected many animals amongst the animal kingdom, so there was quite a diversity of different personalities and 'people' to meet.

When Gloria had been a young girl, she had met an equally young, grinning fox boy with unique, shiny red fur, and a funny voice. At first, she was hesitant to even speak to the lad, let alone make eye contact, though, as the minutes passed, the girl grew too terribly interested in him for her own good. Upon exchanging names and basic traits, she began asking him an obscene amount of questions, each of which he was happy to answer.

Neither of the two had thought they'd grow up to be the greatest of friends.

Gloria's eye's trailed across the fox's soft muzzle, to the long, pointed ears that twitched occasionally with the continuous rustle of the leaves above. The soft rise and fall of his back indicated that he had indeed indulged himself in a nap, whilst resting his maw against the girl's thigh.

She chuckled, albeit rather quietly, as she raised a hand to the soft lumps of spiked fur located along the side of the fox's head, running her nimble fingers through it, gently rubbing and scratching along the fur. Gloria continued this until the fox's head tilted with her ministrations, a low, almost inaudible purr-like sound echoing from his throat. Her fingers moved up to the tufts of fur surrounding his sensitive ears, rubbing gently.

"..Foxy?" She said, tilting her head with a kind smile, "...Wake up, you silly fox."

After a moment more of gentle patting and petting, Foxy was coaxed from his slumber, a new pair of charming, half-lidded golden eyes staring up at Gloria's own.

"It's a gorgeous day out today, huh?" The girl surmised, lifting her gaze from the fox's own to stare at the scenery outside the balconies own premises. "Too bad you spent a good portion of it napping."

"Mhm.." Came the tired reply.

"You hungry? I can whip something up real quick for a late lunch, if you'd like."

"Mhmmm.." Foxy hummed.

"Alright. I'll be back, then." Gloria said, sliding her leg away from the fox's head, and lifting herself from the bench. It creaked at the sudden loss of weight, though remained stable enough for Foxy to adjust himself, his hind leg falling from it's original position and dragging along the ground below. Not that he minded.

The fox's lip then curled slightly, mimicking a smile.

**[ A.N.: this is my first legit story pls forgive any major errors found along the way. ]**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch. 2 - We'll Be Fine**

Despite the fact that she lived a rather simplistic life at home, Gloria worked a decent amount of hours at a large research facility located a fair distance away from where she lived.

After having enrolled in several collage classes relating to the topic of this new and complex ethology, she applied for a job at the nearest establishment that would allow her to apply her newfound knowledge to a career that would have hopefully stuck with her a large portion of her adult life.

The facility specializes in collecting useful data relating to the current ethology, as well as biology, of the world. Whether the data was collected from the organs of those that had been kind enough to dedicate to the facility's research, or currently living, breathing creatures, it all benefited to one cause; discovering the exact DNA strand that had caused these creatures to evolve as they did. In the mind's of the scientists, this information would allow them to create a hormone that could, if need be, bring back the human race if it ever were to devolve, or worse, be wiped out completely.

If was kind of selfish, really, but most people thought of it as a kind gesture towards humanity, so they dismissed it.

Most of the animals, including that of Gloria's own furry friend, disliked the idea of being used as a larger, more diverse form of 'lab rats', and often didn't agree with the scientist's intentions. Gloria was well aware of Foxy's distaste, so she swore to him that if ever offered a position different than her current one, which involved collecting data and providing progress reports for the higher ups, she would automatically decline. She had heard rumors of the disgusting, inhumane things those people would sometimes did to those creatures while examining them, and she certainly hadn't wanted to indulge in it herself.

Unfortunately, the process of discovering the DNA strand proved to be more and more difficult as time went by. A virus, known to some by the nickname of, 'Rabies Redemption', ( as cheesy as it sounded ) had developed, or, evolved, from a bacteria that had been discovered in the mummified bodies of smaller, underdeveloped creatures from the early 2000's. It heavily resembled rabies, and it would cause the occupant's brain to fizz out, figuratively speaking, and have them become dazed and ultimately violent, savagely attacking and sometimes killing anything that crossed it's path. The virus had sometimes dared to be referred to as a possible 'zombie virus', though, there was no known evidence of anything rising from the dead, so it was often dismissed.

It was a well-paying job, and Gloria appreciated the money she was able to rake in for both her and Foxy's sake. The fox didn't require much to live, though it wasn't unoften that he'd get sick with lesser, more well-known illnesses. They usually added up to nothing more than the sniffles or a bad cough, so it was no huge concern. The worst of any occasion was when Foxy had scraped his hand quite gruesomely against the pavement, though foolishly dismissed it, and ended up loosing it later due to infection. Foxy, having been interested in the legend of pirates throughout a large portion of his life, opted for a gleaming, metal hook, rather than a prosthetic hand.

After having fixed both her and Foxy an afternoon meal, Gloria had suggested that perhaps they could venture out to the town after lunch for a stroll through the streets, and possibly stop at a store or two to pick up some groceries. Foxy complied, and quickly finished the last amount of food that he had been given, before scampering off to find a pair of pants to pull over his legs. He normally went without them while he was home, what with there being only one person to worry about and being completely covered in fur, especially at the nether regions, though, being in public was a different story.

Out of spite, Gloria decided to check her phone, possibly for any updates from the daily news or local weather stations. What she saw baffled her, to say the very least.

A breaking news article. Apparently, one of the test subjects being contained at her work location was unaffected by the sedatives it had been given, and quickly overpowered the small hoard of workers that had attempted to keep it at bay. It had escaped it's confinement and ended up releasing several other test subjects with the amount of destruction it had caused during it's blinded rage. Now, they were reported to be roaming about the area, and all patrons within a twenty mile radius were required to stay within the confinements of their household.

"Uh, Foxy?" The girl called, eyes never leaving her phone, "would you mind if we rescheduled?" Her voice sounded hesitant, as though she were truly afraid of what the future might bring if they were to leave the safety of their home.

"What're ya sayin'?" An low, accented voice yelled back, "Ya seemed rather excited about goin', why tha sudden change in demeanor?"

The girl bit her lip, before tearing her eyes away from the handheld device and towards the approaching fox's figure. He looked confused, with his ears pricked curiously and head tilted slightly. She didn't blame him very much at all. Gloria had most certainly expressed her excitement for the small trip earlier that day through the large smile that had almost permanently planted itself on her cheeks.

"..I read an article that was posted quite recently, and apparently one of the guys infected with that virus got loose, and then he let several others loose, so I'm not sure if it'd be safe to go outside for a little while."

Foxy raised a brow, a small scowl becoming apparent on his maw.

"Isn't that place miles n' miles away? There needn't be panic; no way they'd find themselves able to travel that far on foot too terribly quickly. C'mon, lass, I'd hate to see ya mopey fer the rest o' the day 'cause o' this."

Gloria sighed. While she was still a tad paranoid about the issue, the other's words made sense, and it provided some much-needed reassurance.

"Well, alright. Let's go, then." She said, smiling wearily.

Foxy nodded, and maneuvered himself out the door. At the last moment, he caught the door handle with his hook, and shuffled off to the side, effectively holding the door open for the girl. Gloria's smile became a tad more genuine at that, and she stepped out past Foxy, muttering a quiet, "Thank you."

"Yer very welcome, lass." And with that, he shut the door behind the two of them, and treaded off after the girl.


End file.
